A Lot Like Dreaming

"Sometimes people help each other, and get messed up in each other’s business; sometimes we stay out of it and let people find the way themselves. It’s always right to offer help, but not all help is right." 3.5 Stars It's usually a hard thing for a sequel to beat the début. But, Confessions of an Almost-Girlfriend is definitely better than Confessions of an Angry Girl on just about every level. In the first book we met Rose and figured out the problems that have changed her but haven't changed her to be necessarily angry like the title has promised us.But in the sequel as I first began reading, I was expecting some of the same stuff. I was expecting Rose to whine a lot and for her to say things that the characters thought were really mean and bad but actually aren't. But don't get me wrong, all of this is still in Confessions of an Almost Girlfriend but there's also more. There's more anger, more fights, more pain, more heartache. I was really shocked upon finishing this to realize that I liked this. A freaking lot.Unfortunately, most of the book revolves around Jamie Forta who is, one of my least favourite characters. Albeit he's a caring character who puts the people he cares about before himself, I hate how the author has built him up as a 'tragic hero' with a huge flaw that is meant to be overlooked because all of the characters need him. I found this bit really annoying for me and I just could not bring myself to like him. Another thing I don't like is how much Rose whines throughout the story. It's one thing for her to start whining in her head for only us, the readers to know but she complains to Jamie about everything--him talking to Regina and what it was all about, how all of her friends are prettier than her, and how jealous she is of the Deladdo family. It's just annoying.As usual I love the writing. Louise Rozett has a lot of talent making even the simplest things seem complex and important. The second part of the novel is when everything starts to get good with everything coming at Rose all at once rather than one at a time. And she explodes! I especially love Christmas Eve because this is when her bitchy side comes out of nowhere. She reacts to everything on impulse rather than planing out what she wants to say which is the reason why I love it so much. Most of the characters are a lot more developed, we get to know bits and pieces of why Regina and the rest of the Deladdo family are so cruel towards Rose and other people which helps readers sympathize with them a lot more than I did in the first book. And the ending. What an ending! Even though I had a sense that it was going to happen I was not expecting it to affect me as much as it did with the fighting and the heartbreak. This series is really moving their way up in my books!All in all, I really liked this book. It's funny, has a bunch of action, and it has suspense, something that a lot of YA books are missing nowadays. The first half of the book is quite annoying which forced me to bring the rating down but the second half is so unexpected and exciting, I couldn't help but want Rose to pull on top and get what she wants. I recommend this to everyone who has read the first book and to anyone who's looking for a new series to read. If you get through the first book, I promise hope that you'll like the second one much better.

All pain is bad for my Cherish.Okay, I know that quote is cheesy but holy crap! I fell for Rue so hard! He's really funny with the way he tries to speak and murder some of the people he hates. It's just too hilarious. Marina is an okay protagonist because she's quite easy to understand and to know what she's about to do before she does. The writing style is okay, in the beginning, it's very awkward and very stretched out as if Josin L. McQuein was trying to put as many words in to get the point across as possible. But after a while, with everything that`s going on, I didn't notice the awkwardness too much. This book is barely a mediocre kind of read for me. It's glaringly predictable even from the very beginning (page 6 when I realized what would happen between Marina and one of her love interests). Even though I love Rue, most of the characters are lacking in almost every department. Moreover, they have close to no emotion that sticks out which makes it hard for readers to feel sympathy when it is supposed to be given. Instead, they feel like cardboard--boring and lifeless. The romance is very stiff, and disorganized with no build-up whatsoever especially with the love triangle itself. With Rue, the romance is there because of a strong foundation. But with the other guy, it's flimsy at best. It seems like McQuein literally picked it (the romance) out of the air and shoved it in here just for the hell of it.Now, onto the stuff I liked about Arclight. Which mostly was: Rue. Oh, Rue, I love you! He snatched my heart with such unexpected warmth and happiness that even his flaws didn't bother me. His need to protect Cherish and love her only made me love him more. Some parts of the Colonies and how they interact with each other, becoming a whole and connecting everyone is creative. Instead of using words to express their emotions and the others around them, they use images and emotions and are never alone. Even with it being unoriginal, I liked this part about the book a lot. Arclight is a fun story, even with it being unoriginal. With a fun ending that's open enough to leave room for more improvement for the next installment, I'm excited to read what happens next with Rue (don't really care about Cherish though). I recommend this to anyone new or newish to the genre of Dystopia/Dystopian because it's too predictable to fully enjoy the novel otherwise.

Richelle Meads' books are like a staircase. They just seep lower and lower. And I really tried to read this. I mean, I fell asleep three times within the first thirty pages but I didn't stop reading until 100 pages in. (Okay, so 95 pages in.)Justin has voices inside of his head. Honestly, for me, this sounds awesome, I love books where the main character is sort of insane. But in this novel, they're very boring, only giving one sentence answers which aren't even funny.And talking about characters, all of the main characters are horrid. Tessa angers me because she does close to nothing except tries to bring out the sensitive side of Justin (it doesn't work). Justin, on the other hand, is just an asshole who loves sex. And Mae feels like a complete robot to me except for when she's all over Justin. Like...no....none of these characters are likeable in the slightest. I also really don't like how Richelle Mead keeps her readers in the dark for a very long time. And by long I mean we don't find out what a plebian is until well over 70 pages in. Or what RUNA (Republic of United North America) stands for yet the authors mentions RUNA multiple times before giving us the explanation. I find this ridiculous. If I don't get explanations for what certain words or acronyms mean then I want be very engaged in the story. Of course there is more wrong with this story other than the characters, being left in the dark for far too long, and that there is too much going on for one book to handle. But I only made it 100 pages in before I had to give up. I don't recommend this book to anyone.

I'm really getting tired of this genre. Or maybe it's that the guys are always so 'hot and cold' towards the female character that I want to hit them with a frying pan. But then again, it could be both. The Program has a unique idea. Depression is taking over teenagers! It's different. But then there's the romances that, don't take over the novel but make themselves a little too known. I'm really hoping that things change for the better in the next book or else I might have to hit someone with my frying pan. With such an intriguing plot, I was expecting a lot more than I received. There back story for most of the characters is sloppily put in at odd times as well as the world building is done sloppily. Both of the romances in The Program are kind of boring. Especially the romance between Realm and Sloane and all the insta-love feelings going on there. I also don't like the way the novel make depressing sound like an infectious disease that can easily be caught. It's not very realistic with it, nor are the signs for depression that easy to spot and treat. And the ending! It's like every other dystopian book out there trying to, 'fight back'. Nothing about it is creative. It's the exact. Same. As. The. Rest.Fortunately, The Program does have some promising qualities. The second part of the book is much better, it's a bit more organized and bearable. Suzanne Young puts a realistic spin on her writing style to fit the book. I might not like the way she has portrayed depression as some kind of infectious disease that can easily be caught like the flu, but I did like that she kept the writing in a sad, gloomy style.Young does have a knack for creative story ideas but also for sloppy executions for her work. Still, I recommend this if you've read and loved Delirium by Lauren Oliver or just like dystopian in general and looking for something new in the genre. Although you might not like this because of the romance, the second part of the novel is much better than the first even if the ending is so overused.

First of all, I would like to thank the Publisher, HarperTeen for giving me an ARC of this book to review. Thank you so much! Really appreciate it! All right, now for my review.(My Opinion)I can understand why some people won't enjoy this because there are many times where Sam randomly talks about his dick and how 'heavy' it gets and more often than not, about the size of the Girls' waists and boobs. September Girls starts off very sloppily and a bit disorganized. The second we meet new characters, there's a bit of info-dumping that also makes it hard to know whether or not Sam is talking about them in the past or the present. If readers aren't used to the minds of teenage boys then this book may be offensive and just plain weird. But I did like this, don't get me wrong. It's just a bit confusing at times.Throughout the story, the writing style is really weird. It seems like Bennett Madison is trying to write the story really fancy-like and 'professional' (not really the word I wanted to use but it'll do) but with a mix of teenage boy humour added in which, in fact, doesn't quite work well in the author's favour. Even if the writing wasn't as awkward, there isn't much dialogue as I would have liked. It seems like the chapters are all just really long monologues rather than a realistic story with dialogue. Another thing that I felt could have been done better is the ending, it drags on for far too long about things that, in my opinion, don't matter in the slightest.In between the chapters that are narrated by Sam, there are small, two or three pages devoted to the Girls. This gives readers a chance to get to know the Girls better and a little in sight on what their lives are like. Which leads me into the characters. Most of the characters are okay with simple characteristics for some and more complex things for others to keep everything fun. For some reason, I can't get enough of Sam. Although the character has some faults and mishaps, I have a soft spot for him and his weirdness. It's easy for me to relate to him and his ways of coping with his parents separating and things like that. The character of DeeDee is also another one that I like. I love how different she is and the way she treats Kristle even though they're not-really-sisters-but-kind-of. The relationship between these two characters, DeeDee and Sam, is too cute. It's realistic and confusing and amazing. Every second they're together, I get really squealy and happy and sometimes angry with the way Sam sometimes acts. But I still love him.September Girls is not a book for everyone. It's a new take with girls being beautiful and blonde and most definitely 'hipsters'. But I did enjoy it, there are some good things about this story that can be seen if you just look past all of the guy-ish things that may annoy readers. I recommend this to anyone who like retellings and stories about summer and don't mind male humour that comes along with this. Besides, what kind of person doesn't like mermaids and their beautiful selves?

This is so short and fun!

Afterlife Academy is told from the perspective of Riley Richardson, who is, in fact, a very different kind of girl (the popular kind). Instead of being the popular girl with the perfect life like she's used to, she is ridiculed at the academy because of the fact that she looks a lot different than everyone else. And to be honest, I think that Riley deserves it for the awful things she did to everyone while she was alive. Afterlife Academy is that kind of book that's sort of funny but also sort of annoying. Although I like the story, I think that it's lacking in a lot of areas.For the most part, the writing in this is really awkward. It sort of stops and goes, with very short three word sentences ending when they should not have ended. Another thing I don't like about this is that there is so much repetition In almost every chapter, Riley explains to us how everything is either grey or very, very wrong. An example of the repetition is:"The canteen looks exactly the same as it always has. Apart from the greyness, obviously. Grey lino flooring, grey tables and black chairs, grey counters."In the example above, it shows that saying everything is grey ins't enough, but telling us everything in the room that is grey is the best way to get the image across. Because of this, it makes the story harder to read since I'm being constantly reminded just how grey everything is and just how colourful Riley is. A very hard thing for authors to accomplish is to make their readers hate their main character and then quickly fall in love with them. This is very tough to do because it requires the right amount of emotions. Unfortunately, Afterlife Academy doesn't his its mark. I can see where Jaimie Admans is trying to go with Riley, making her seem like the mean girl who finds her way and stuff like that. But throughout the whole story I felt very little sympathy for her. Instead of falling in love with her and rooting for Riley to have her 'happy ending' I felt more annoyed with her then anything. She keeps whining about how everyone is mean to her when she actually deserves it. The relationship between Riley and Anthony feels very forced and a bit on the random side as well. I couldn't relate to it because I didn't understand how anyone would like Riley after all the crap they put them through.With that being said, there actually are a few things that I like about the book. The character of Anthony is so amazing and sweet. He's a very caring person who I honestly think makes the story rather than Riley. He's still kind to those (Riley) who have made fun of him and made his life a living hell for several years when he has every reason to be rude and hate them for it. For as far as humour goes, my favourite part has to be the group therapy session. This part made me laugh because it's so realistic when you put a bunch of teenagers together. They snap at each other and defend one another and tease them.I also like all the sneaking around. It creates a somewhat mysterious setting.Overall, not a bad read. I like the second half a lot more than the first because that's mostly where all the action is. Most of the characters are lacking emotion and a personality and feel like ink on a page but I did enjoy the karmatic things that the author put in the novel. They made me smile. I recommend this to anyone who likes after-world novels. Especially if you love romances that just randomly happen.

Wow.

I'll be honest, I haven't read the Hex Hall series (but I so want to) so I went into this book without much of a back story. With that being said, School Spirits is a good novel. It's not the greatest nor is it the worst with the story mostly concentrating on Isolde "Izzy" Brannick and how she deals with a ghost case somewhere in Mississippi. From the beginning, the ending is pretty predictable, even the 'bad guy' is easy to spot the second they are introduced in the story. Rachel Hawkins could have done a much better job making it less predictable. But I do like most of the characters, especially Dexter, he's so goofy. Out of all the demon slayer type of books that I've read (which is a lot) School Spirits has to be one of my least favourites. There is just so much wrong with it other than its predictability. Finley is supposed to play quite a huge part in the novel but she doesn't. Instead of finding clues and other things related to Finley's disappearance, there's only about ten pages devoted to her. The rest of the book is mostly just them missing her. I also don't like how unrealistic the friendships are in the book. Izzy has been taught for fifteen years not to trust mortals yet, she throws all of those lessons out the window for people she's only known for roughly two months? That's insane and unbelievable. What's even worse is that she tells them what/who she is and what she does because she thinks it's a good idea. If her friends were supposed to know what she is, she would have told them in the beginning and not near the end. Telling her friends that these monsters are real kind of defeats the purpose of keeping them safe and out-of-the-way. And the mother just kind of goes with it saying (and I'm paraphrasing this) "Okay! You can tell them all about what we do! They can come with us! Who cares what the council might think about humans knowing that monsters exist." What kind of monster slayer says something like that?!For me, I think that the romance moves pretty fast as well. It feels like Rachel Hawkins rushed the ending and stuffed as much lovey-dovey romance stuff in it as she could to make up for the quite disappointing ending. There isn't much demon-slaying going on throughout the novel either. I wish there was to level out with the amount of unrealistic predictable things. What I like about this book are some of the characters, like Dexter. There’s just something about a guy named Dexter that you have to love. Whether it’s his psychotic tendencies, his arrogance, or his goofy, hilarious jokes at the worst times imaginable, everyone loves a guy named Dexter. He's so funny, saying the worst things during intense moments that I can't help but laugh. I also like the writing style because it's quite fun and entertaining, helping the book create a chill, laid back feel. The relationship between the mom and Izzy for the most part is relatable. Their struggles not only with each other but with themselves shows just how broken people can be when a loved one is suddenly taken away from them. Overall, School Spirits is an okay read, definitely for people who like a bit of supernatural things in their stories, but I don't recommend it for people into demon-slaying books because there just isn't enough of that going on in here. And although this is a fun, entertaining read, it isn't very realistic or intense.

This book has been on my TBR list for quite some time. And although I started it about a year ago, I honestly thought that I wasn't going to finish it anytime soon. I am so glad that I did! Allison is such a badass character who's very fun to read about. The book is told from the perspective of Allison and at first, her life as a human and then her life as a vampire. The Immortal Rules could have been shorter. Somewhere in the middle of the story, it starts to get sloppy and boring with Allison just exploring the place around her. I also don't like the way Julie Kagawa portrays the only other female character as this bitchy girl who hates Allison for no reason. Although this does happen in real life, I feel like she overdid this a little too much for my taste.I love how cool and fearless Allison is even when facing dangerous, evil creatures (especially when she was human). It's a nice change-up from the average girl who needs to always be saved. The writing style throughout the book has this sense of dauntlessness to it. While reading this, I felt braver, as if I could kick some major Vampire ass of my own.Nonetheless, this book is about vampires. It does take place in a post-apocalyptic setting but it's like many other dystopian. And I didn't care much for the romance (but Zeke is so precious though), I didn't feel annoyed by it. Julie Kagawa does a fine job writing a story about something so overdone and mainstream and putting her own little twists and turns to make it something different. I cannot wait to finally read The Eternity Cure which is the second book in the Blood Of Eden series.

the second I started the first chapter, I knew I was not going to finish this. Thorn Abbey has a pretty cool prologue but other than that, it's the exact same as every other book I've read about spoiled teens attending a private boarding school with secrets to hide.

I will NOT read this! There is too much info-dumping about characters that are barely in the book, insta-love (I know it is there), a hot guy with, "beautiful, piercing blue eyes", and the main character is keeping secrets for no good reason. I can't. After trying to attempt "Thorn Abbey" I have no patience for this book. DNF!

I read this in French for my French class. My exam was on this book and let me tell you, it took everything in me to finish this. Nothing happens untilMaha gets raped and dies. So, for the first 200 pages it's just Karim in Montreal hating everything then back in Beyrouth where the civil war is still going on. And in Beyrouth all the way to Chlifa it's just them walking...and walking...and walking. They run into close to no danger, there is no action, and most of all there is close to no emotion. I wouldn't have read this if I had the choice because it's so boring.

3.5 StarsAlly Carter is one of my favourite authors, right behind Sarah Dessen. She's so talented, telling stories about kickass teenagers risking their lives and having dangerous lifestyles for the heck of it. I wish I could be like them, beating up bad guys and stealing things and giving them to the rightful owners. But Perfect Scoundrels is something that surprised me. However, it wasn't a good surprised, it surprised me because I could always predict what was going to happen before it did. Every trick, twist, con, everything. Instead of feeling like apart of Kat's gang and on a brand new adventure, I felt like the puppet master, always one step ahead. Carter does a good job of entertaining readers with tales about teenage con artists but does a harder job of keeping things fresh.Perfect Scoundrels just feels really forced. From the second Kat's crew gets together to the very last page, it feels contrived and not natural in the slightest. I get that Carter is going for the funny, 'we're here!' approach but it doesn't work well in her favour. Another thing I find really annoying is how predictable the bad guy is. Unlike in the other novels, it took some time and shocked me, but this time it's too obvious to find any pleasure figuring it all out for myself. The overall plan for the heist/con/whatever is also predictable. It's very straightforward even without being told exactly what the plan is. Some of the characters are choppy and only serve one purpose in the novel (to help Kat) especially the new ones. With no back story of any sorts, they make the story feel more flimsy and forced.As I said before, Ally Carter has a craft for creating believable worlds with unmistakable writing that I have come to know and love. It's smooth and convincing, drawing readers into a world most likely unlike their own with theft and romance. The relationship between Kat and Hale is one of my favourite things about the novel because it's put to the test and it's quite realistic with the kind of obstacles that they have to face--Kat trying to fit into Hale's world while Hale is forced to leave hers.Overall, not a bad read, its downfall being that it's very predictable and a few parts feel contrived. Nonetheless the writing is better than ever and some of the characters really grow. I recommend this to anyone who has read Carter's part work or are looking to get lost in the world of cons, heists, and theft with a fun crew to guide the way.

I think I knew I was going to dislike Richard from the beginning because he always repeats himself by saying, "see" or, "okay?" or "right". It took all my strength not to jump into the book and punch him in the face. Hollis Seamon could have made this a killer book with such a sad and serious topic but instead she failed to do so. I was left underwhelmed and very upset with all the characters. And not in a good way.Writing a realistic contemporary novel there has to be a realistic relationship between the main character and most likely the love interest. Unfortunately, the romance in Somebody Up There Hates You feels more like a fairytale than something that could happen in real life. Richard and Sylvie are already 'together' when the novel starts with little hints and snippets of how they met but not a full explanation of how they became so close and became a couple. There isn't much if any character building either. All of the characters feel extremely stiff and are boring and I couldn't connect to any of them. Another thing that I really disliked about this novel is the fact that everything is all over the place. The relationship between Richard and Sylvie, Richard's life, all of it. Instead of reading one story I felt like I was reading ten different ones that randomly popped up out of nowhere. During many parts of the book I was left confused and uncertain about what I was reading.One thing I did like about the book though, is the relationship between Richard and Edward. It is so cute because they depend on each other so much, whether they know it or not. I also liked Edward because he reminds Richard a lot that everyone has problems and that he's not the only one going through a shitty time which I think everyone needs to be reminded from time to time. Somebody Up There Hates You isn't actually a story about a teen with cancer and how he fights through it. It's more of a story about two teens going through a crappy time and having sex before they die. That's about it. I recommend this only to people looking for a light read. Don't let the summary fool you, it's not heart-wrenching nor is it moving.

2.5 StarsLet The Sky Fall is a predictable novel. Even with a cool and unique story idea can't do a lot for it. I knew the outcome (vaguely) after reading the first ten chapters. It's especially predictable with the betrayal and love/hart relationships that go on throughout it. There's an okay amount of world building, I wish there was more though. But the truth about Vane's parents kind of surprised me. I was shocked! Which shocked me because I didn't think anything in the book was going to shock me. Shannon Messenger definitely has some tricks up her sleeves. Romance in a book can sometimes ruin it, which is actually the case with Let the Sky Fall. The novel focuses far too much on the romance that I started to lose interest. Vane starts having dreams about a dark-haired girl, which, many times before, has been done and in a much better way than it is here. Shannon Messenger tries too hard getting the point across that Vane is a sarcastic kind of guy who loves to joke around. As a character, he feels very stiff and forced instead of relaxed with a natural humour.Short chapters instantly makes a book more appealing to me. The book has chapters that mostly consist of four or five maybe even six pages that helps it become an easy read. I also liked that the chapters alternate between Audra's and Vane's POVs to show things through both of their eyes instead of just having on main character. They're also quite different characters and I love Audra's voice and Vane's stupidity. Even though he's not a huge part of the story, I still enjoyed the parts that Gavin, Audra's bird appears in because he's caring and totally evil at the same time. With that being said, I did like the book. Barely, but I liked it. It's a light novel with a few flaws and has a beautiful cover. Recommended for readers that are looking for a creative story idea with somewhat heavy doses of romance and an entertaining bird. That also don't mind some things being mediocre and predictable. I'm excited to see what other tricks Messenger has in stored with the next book in the series, Let the Storms Break.